ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stock · racket · season · jam · rock · cold · mark · bark

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bark — to shout
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. season — of the year
  9. cold — not warm
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. stock — goods
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. rock — a stone
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. rock — music
  17. cold — an illness
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mark — a grade
  20. season — in sport
  21. mark — a trace
  22. stock — shares
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. cold — the Cold War

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com